Memoirs Books

Book SynopsisOur Divide: Two Sides of Locked in Syndrome is the story of the other side—the side of the young, pregnant wife of a man who, at age twenty-seven, is struck down by an obstruction in the brain stem, leaving him with a rare neurological disorder called locked-in syndrome. Like Jean-Dominique Bauby of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Cleve is rendered mute and paralyzed by the syndrome—but unlike Bauby, he is unable to move at all, unable to sit up in a wheelchair or communicate by blinking an eye.Our Divide is a beautifully written, honest account of the experience of watching a loved one suffer. Harrison delivers both a peek into the world of a unique other and an intimate view of one young woman’s grieving process. A heartbreaking story that’s at once a grief, a coming-of-age, and a survival narrative, this genuine, honest portrayal of one woman’s mistakes and courage while learning how to take responsibility and create a life for herself will sweep readers away.Trade Review“Our Divide is a spellbinding story of the tragic, harrowing start to young woman’s adulthood, told with exquisite detail and an honesty that had me by the throat. From the first page, Harrison pulled me into mosquito-ravaged summers and icy winters of Northern Minnesota, as she struggled to find her way through unspeakable trauma and unbearable loneliness.” —Marj Charlier, author of The Rebel Nun “In Our Divide one gets the feeling that author LaDonna Harrison has literally exhumed her past, bringing to the reader the heart, soul, and blood of a young woman weaving through her chaotic life. Harrison’s earnestness and openness threads her story with a passion, confusion, and desperate need to not just survive but ultimately and remarkably to turn her life around with success.” —Ken Luber, author of The Sun Jumpers and Match to the Heart “Our Divide is a deeply personal memoir about LaDonna's life as a young woman, who is thrust into adulthood by an unhealthy attraction to a violent man. She writes candidly about their brief but passionate romance, her pregnancy, his devastating illness, and her search for self and purpose. I felt a personal connection to this story, the attraction to a powerful man and the conflicting emotions, as well as the feelings of waiting and hoping for a loved one to recover from a devastating illness. LaDonna’s skills as a writer give you the feeling that you’re walking that journey with her.” —Mary Aalgaard, Play off the Page blog “LaDonna Harrison bares heart and soul in this beautifully written and compassionate memoir that digs deep. A story of love and survival through unimaginable hardship.” —Cyrus Nowrasteh, director of The Stoning of Soraya M. and The Young Messiah

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Book SynopsisLeora, a juvenile court judge, wife, mother, and daughter, is caught in the routine of work, taking care of her family and aging parents. But she’s also a second-generation Holocaust survivor. It’s an identity she didn’t understand was hers until she accidentally discovered a secret file of handwritten notes addressed to her father. A further discovery of a seemingly random WWII postcard in a thrift store sets her on a collision course with the past in this lyrical memoir about secrets hidden within secrets, both present-day and buried deep within wartime Europe.Trade ReviewPraise for Do Not Disclose:A 2021 Kirkus Reviews' Best Indie Book of the Year“This richly detailed memoir will particularly appeal to those whose imaginations are fired by genealogy and historical research. A captivating story smartly recounted.”—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED“Exceptionally well written, organized and presented… Do Not Disclose is an inherently fascinating read from beginning to end. A welcome addition to the growing library of Jewish Holocaust Literature … an extraordinary and unreservedly welcome addition to community, college and university library collections.”—Midwest Book Review, Reviewer’s Choice“Do Not Disclose is hard to put down, a haunting, poetic journey, the search for lost childhood, like a letter from someone we did not want to see anymore, nor want to open for the fear of finding inside it—a truth.”—John Bernstein, prize-winning screenwriter, playwright, and Professor of Holocaust in Film and Israeli Cinema at the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies“Leora Krygier is an exquisite writer and Do Not Disclose is her masterpiece. In lyrical prose, she recounts the bittersweet journey of excavating the truth in her own family and that of a complete stranger. When astonishing twists and turns lead her on a path she never expected to travel, she stays the course with courage and commitment and ultimately finds her way home.”—Linda Schreyer, award-winning screenwriter and author of Tears and Tequila“A remarkable personal journey and deeply moving tale of family secrets. A must-read.”—Eva Nagorski, award-winning screenwriter, director, and author of The Down and Dirty Dish on Revenge“I cannot think of an author alive who writes with the soul-stirring, poetic prose of Leora Krygier. Do Not Disclose is an incredibly touching memoir that elegantly weaves together threads from the Holocaust, family secrets, motherhood and a quest to find a soldier from a discovered postcard. I was captivated from the first page. Here is life in all of its painful, honest, joyful beauty.”—Stephanie Corbett, Head of Circulation, Holmes County District Public Library“Leora Krygier's qualities as a gifted writer and meticulous researcher are evident in her touching and candid memoir. As she searches for a stranger's roots, she explores and acquires a deeper understanding of her own family's complicated legacy.”—Meryl Ain, author of The Takeaway MenPraise for Keep Her:“Krygier's vivid, immersive prose . . . a recommended read for creative romantics everywhere.”—School Library Journal“Keep Her will engage fans of contemporary fiction. Fans of meant-to-be romance stories will not be disappointed.” —Voya Magazine“Krygier writes like she knows the characters personally. I have never read a story as filled with passion and regret as this book.” —TeenReads“This vibrantly dazzling literary cocktail on the restorative powers of love will leave reader's hearts renewed.”—Popsugar“Discussing topics such as environmental protection and adoption, Keep Her is a refreshingly honest read.”—BuzzFeed

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Book SynopsisAt age fifty, Susan Morris is diagnosed with breast cancer—and she’s floored. Desperate to pinpoint the cause, one night she decides to type a question into her search engine: “What are the risk factors of getting breast cancer?” She’s surprised to discover research showing that long-term exposure to stress and traumatic childhood experiences can both increase the risk of breast cancer. The Sensitive One is a braided memoir that alternates between Morris’s childhood—as a sensitive child and then teenager who shouldered the burden of caring for her younger siblings as her dad’s alcoholism tore at the threads of their home life—and an adult who for a decade-plus has been living a trauma-free life with a caring husband and rewarding career in nursing . . . only to be diagnosed with breast cancer. This is a story of redemption—of a woman who manages to escape harrowing circumstances and start anew—but it’s also a story of how our legacy lives within us, and how healing from the adverse effects of childhood can truly take a lifetime.Trade Review2021 Foreword Indie Gold Winner in Autobiography & Memoir“Susan Morris weaves together a compelling memoir, taking the reader through the darkness of childhood abuse and its effects on a family, an individual life, and a body. As a somatic psychotherapist specializing in trauma, her story is an act of compassion reflecting her life’s journey in attempts to understand, heal, and transform. —Ann Saffi Biasetti, PhD, LCSWR, C-IAYT, author of Befriending Your Body: A Self-Compassionate Approach to Freeing Yourself from Disordered Eating “Susan Morris’s courageous story The Sensitive One will inspire you to learn how healing is possible despite a lifetime of traumas, physical and emotional. Susan shows that love, joy in life, therapy, and a gritty determination to overcome it all are a powerful combination to change darkness to light and live a richer life.” —Linda Joy Myers, president of the National Association of Memoir Writers and author of Song of the Plains “Morris’s insights into how adverse childhood experiences influence our health later in life are cutting-edge. The book is a delight to read. I am sure that it will become loved by women and their families, particularly those who are living through the diagnosis of breast cancer.” —Rebecca G. Rogers, MD

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Book SynopsisWhat do we do when life ends? How do we honor the past while moving into an unimaginable, uncertain future? This tender, bracingly honest memoir explores how Jenny, a young widow, navigates the sudden loss of Tris, her beloved spouse of eighteen years.With Tris gone, Jenny suddenly finds herself a single mom to a teen daughter and adult stepson. The newly splintered family finds ways to celebrate “milestone firsts” —including birthdays and other holidays that, without Tris, now feel hollow and bittersweet. Jenny finds herself drawn to new people, including other widows and psychic mediums, and becoming open to different kinds of connections based on sharing and spirituality. She also embarks on a halting quest for new romantic love. Initially, as she endures awkward first dates and unpleasant interactions with self-proclaimed “nice guys,” she resists her new reality —but over time, she finds someone unexpectedly comforting, blending the pain of loss with the pleasure of closeness. For readers who have also lost a loved one, The Good Widow offers both a comforting guide to grief and a form of companionship; for everyone, it’s a beautiful example of how even after death, love endures.

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Book SynopsisIn this no-holds-barred, provocative book, Terri Laxton Brooks tells a story that often remains hidden— that of a successful professional who has many friends and family and yet all her life has struggled with a loneliness she’s never revealed to anyone. Terri thinks her feelings of isolation will end with her marriage to her childhood sweetheart and their move from a farm town to the city of Chicago. But once the sheen of newlywed passion wears off, her husband, by nature reticent, grows even more emotionally distant. In her new job as a reporter for a Chicago paper, Terri hides her loneliness under a flurry of bylines and deadlines. But she can’t shake a feeling she’s had since childhood—of failure to connect, not just as a wife but also as a daughter, friend, and colleague—and soon she and her husband separate. Adrift, Terri contemplates suicide. Could a move to different city, to a fresh start, solve her problem? Terri’s decision to transplant herself to New York City forces her hand in a way she never imagined: it plunges her into a loneliness so total that out of desperation she grabs the key to her own salvation— ; love of interviewing, researching, hearing people’s stories. After starting therapy, her curiosity leads her into four years of soul-searching conversations with America’s leading psychologists and psychiatrists about how to cope with loneliness, why it is a normal and necessary stage of healthy growth, and how to stop resisting it. She explores with growing understanding intimate details of her dreams, her past traumas, and her role in her own loneliness—and learns not only how to live comfortably with that loneliness but how to use it to her advantage.

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Book SynopsisAfter losing her husband, George—her one and only since high school prom—to cancer, fifty-year-old Debbie Weiss found herself opening a new chapter of life that she didn’t know how to start.Initially, she binge-watched Netflix and drank Manhattans. Then she became a dating monster—starting with J-Date and then moving on to multiple other sites. Soon, Debbie was averaging two dates a day; in the blink of an eye, she’d gone from respectable widow to the girl you’d do in your Trans Am but wouldn’t take to the prom. At one point, she was actually dating four guys at once, including a politician who refused to let Debbie meet his family because they’d met online. But as she juggled these many men, she began to feel that midlife dating was less an earnest romantic endeavor and more a battle of the sexes . . . and the line in the sand was how much women were willing to tolerate.Fed up, Debbie went offline. Only then, without the distraction of dating to keep her busy, did she finally, truly grieve her loss—and as she did, she also realized that she needed to forgive herself, both for George’s death and for losing her identity in their marriage. Equal parts poignant and punchy, Available As Is is a darkly humorous account of seeking love—but finding yourself.Trade Review“This is a deeply personal story but one that Weiss shares with a beguiling openness and wit. A sharply written, heartfelt dating account that proves both enriching and amusing.”—Kirkus Reviews“Overall, Available As Is sets out a stunning and bittersweet journey of self-discovery that is elevated above your average memoir by a rare breed of emotional honesty and the magic of a gifted wordsmith laying out the lessons learned along the way.”—Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review“A sudden widow at fifty, Debbie Weiss captures the absurdity of modern dating as a grown up. With unexpected humor and much-welcome hope, Available As Is is a deeply moving story of trying to build a new life after loss.”—Allison Gilbert, author of Listen, World! and Passed and Present“With unflinching honesty, Weiss lays out her road from loving marriage, to grieving widow, to dating again. Eye-opening to some and painfully relatable to others, Available As Is is brave, authentic, and exceedingly validating for others working to find love in these disconnected times.” —Ann Garvin, USA Today best-selling author of I Thought You Said This Would Work“Scorchingly honest, romantic, funny, desperate, and heartbreaking, Debbie Weiss’s memoir Available As is may be the widow’s story of the millennium. Read it and weep. Read it and rejoice.”—Jacquelyn Mitchard, author of The Deep End of the Ocean“A brave, honest look into the trials and tribulations of dating as a middle-aged widowed person. Weiss’s debut memoir is at once poignant and entertaining, and ultimately helps us to realize that the most important relationship we'll ever have is the one we have with ourselves.”—Jenny Lisk, author of Future Widow and host of The Widowed Parent Podcast

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